“Special Effects With Depth” by Cupisz and Ciliox

This session presents various graphics techniques using depth and normals buffers. The methods range from improving standard techniques such as particle effects to creating entirely new ones (for example, approximate volumetric effects), and advanced image post-processing. In many cases, the buffers used are natural products of the rendering pipeline and offer a way to infer a surprising volume of information about the scene, allowing for very rich and fast graphics effects. The session is designed for artists and programmers. It discusses the possibilities of the post-processing effects and their technical side.